Sunday, May 20, 2012
[KI Media] Khmer Rouge judges rebuke premier for ‘killer’ remarks
18 May 2012
AFP
PHNOM PENH - Judges at a UN-backed Khmer Rouge war crimes court have rebuked Cambodia's premier for branding one of the defendants a "killer", in what observers said on Friday was their strongest warning yet against political interference.
But tribunal judges stopped short of taking action against Hun Sen, disappointing the defence team for "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea who said their client's right to a fair trial had been violated. Hun Sen was quoted by Vietnamese media in January as saying that the testimony of Nuon Chea, accused of atrocities in the late 1970s, was "deceitful" and that the accused was a "killer and genocide (perpetrator)".
"These remarks, if accurately reported, would constitute statements incompatible with the presumption of innocence," the judges said in a decision published on the court's website on Thursday.
"They risk being interpreted as an attempt to improperly influence the judges," they wrote, issuing "an unambiguous public reminder" for officials to avoid making such statements.
Nuon Chea and two other top ex-regime leaders deny charges including war crimes and genocide for their roles in a regime blamed for the deaths of up to two million people.
The court has been dogged by claims of government interference and Nuon Chea's counsel has repeatedly complained about the prime minister's alleged meddling, though they welcomed this "implicit warning" from the judges.
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/20/2012 12:46:00 AM
[KI Media] UK investment in Cambodian apparel sector to surge
May 19, 2012
Fibre2Fashion
Investments in the Cambodian garment sector from the UK are to get a boost as the UK Trade and Investment Office is set to open a permanent branch in Phnom Penh.
Traditionally, Cambodia's clothing sector has attracted the largest chunk of UK investment. Last year, the UK was the only European country to invest in Cambodia.
During the past five years, bilateral trade between Cambodia and the UK have risen by more than 300 percent and it was worth US$ 400 million in 2011, as per the data available with the British embassy in Phnom Penh. In the first quarter of the current year, there has been a growth in bilateral trade by over 40 percent year-on-year.
The Phnom Penh branch of the UK Trade and Investment Office is being established in the expectation that the economic ties between the two nations would continue to grow at very fast pace. The office would facilitate business registration and will also produce market reports.
According to the data with the Cambodian Investment Board, the UK was the largest investor in Cambodia in 2011. The bulk of the US$ 2.2 billion money, however, came in the form of a single investment by a Cayman Islands-based company.
In 2010, UK investment in Cambodia was around US$ 10 million.
Meanwhile, Quantum Clothing, the UK's biggest company in Cambodia, has inaugurated its third apparel factory with an investment of about US$ 10 million.
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/20/2012 12:33:00 AM
[KI Media] Justice near for murdered Canuck
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| This stark monument housing the skulls of thousands of victims of the bloody Khmer Rouge today stands on the site of the ``killing fields'' outside the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. |
19 May 2012
By Simon Kent
QMI Agency
Justice delayed is justice denied. It's a legal maxim that gains an acute human quality when applied to the fate of Canadian adventurer Stuart Robert Glass.
The B.C. native died in a hail of machine gun bullets late one steamy August afternoon in 1978.
His crime? Glass and two companions had inadvertently sailed their boat Foxy Lady into Cambodian waters after a short journey across the Gulf of Thailand from Malaysia.
Compared to what was to come for his sailing mates, Glass' death was mercifully quick.
Sailors from the Khmer Rouge patrol boat that intercepted them apprehended the Canadian's two companions.
The Englishman John Dewhirst and New Zealander Kerry Hamill were taken to the capital Phnom Penh.
Then they were held in the infamous Tuol Sleng prison. The pair were tortured, made to sign confessions, tortured some more and then had their throats slit before their bodies were burned to ashes.
Flash forward 34 years. For the past six weeks, three of the men who can be held responsible for the death of 27-year-old Stuart Glass amongst millions of others have been under trial in a courtroom in Phnom Penh facing long-delayed justice.
The three accused - Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary - have pleaded not guilty to charges that include crimes against humanity, genocide and torture.
Testimony at the Extraordinary Chambers for the Courts in Cambodia (ECCC) has revealed Nuon Chea, once second in charge of the Khmer Rouge, was head of internal security at the time of the Foxy Lady incident.
He would have given the direct order for the death of the three men under the direction of brother Number One, Pol Pot.
While it is important that the men who were ultimately responsible for Stuart Glass' death face justice, however long after the fact, it is equally important to put his death in perspective. The bloody murderers in the Khmer Rouge killed nearly 1.7 million people during their reign from 1975-79.
Try as they might, they could never fully conceal the evidence.
In 1993, I went to the infamous `killing fields' while based in Phnom Penh as a correspondent covering the early phases of the United Nations Transition Authority Cambodia (UNTAC).
I paid a local the princely sum of $2 (U.S.) to take me there on the back of his motorcycle.
We bumped along dirt tracks for some 17 kilometres outside the capital, me hanging on the back of the bike while his shoulder-slung AK-47 jabbed my ribs and what looked like a US service issued M1911 pistol poking out of the top of his Levis.
We finally stopped at a place called Choeung Ek and I set off on foot across the beds of old rice paddies.
As I did, there was a crunching sound I assumed to be undergrowth.
I stopped and looked down. Shattered pieces of human bone were under my feet. Looking up and ahead there were hectares of bleaching bones stretching off as far as the eye could see.
In the distance fluttered what I thought were pieces of coloured paper trapped in the dirt. I walked forward and caught one. It was the remains of a young girl's blouse. There was clothing everywhere, so too discarded trenching tools, spent rifle shell casings and signs warning of still live land mines.
Great, stinking open pits were left gouged out of the raw earth. They were all full of bones. Looking down at some of the exposed skulls you could clearly see the knicks left by a trenching tool as the victim was clubbed to death.
Most tragically, smaller pits full of the broken bones of small children, yes, even babies. Guards had simply swung the newborns by the feet and smashed their heads against any nearby tree.
The Khmer Rouge policy was not to waste bullets on "vermin.'' Prisoners dug their own graves and were then forced to kill each other.
This was after time served in Tuol Sleng prison where confessions were extracted from prisoners using methods that included raising prisoners by their arms tied behind and dislocating shoulders, removing toenails and/or teeth with pliers, repeated suffocation, electric shock to the genitals and skinning a person alive.
Perhaps the greatest injustice of the current UN-sponsored war crimes trial is that Pol Pot, the architect of the entire Khmer regime, died in his sleep in 1998. We can only hope for Stuart Glass's sake and hundreds of thousands of long dead Cambodians, it wasn't peacefully.
The trial resumes Monday.
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/20/2012 12:30:00 AM
[KI Media] Request from a Reader: What would you ask to Mr. Mam Sonando?
From Anonymous KI-Media reader:
What questions would any one want to ask if a face-to-face meeting with Sonando were to take place now?
Don't be shy! List them all out please?
Thx a million!!!
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/20/2012 12:26:00 AM
[KI Media] SRP election message on land confiscation / Message électoral du PSR sur la confiscation de terres
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxxrV6AlF7w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXsF9QfMk_o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyDjBFgwNm8
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/20/2012 12:22:00 AM
[KI Media] Grassroots Democracy and It Starts at Local Level
"One correction: I was never a member of the current ruling party and will never be." - Mu Sochua
Cambodian opposition MP starts election campaign
18 May 2012
Demotix
Mu Sochua, an opposition member of the Cambodian parliament from the Sam Rainsy Party, commences her campaign in the lead up to coming elections in Cambodia.
Cambodian opposition party Member of Parliament and human rights advocate Mu Sochua commenced her campaign in Battambang in the run-up to the commune elections to be held in early June.
The campaign convoy started near Psar Nath, one of Battambang's main markets, and wound its way through the streets. Mu Sochua stopped a few times at other streetside markets to give speeches and meet with local people before moving to a temple several kilometres from town for a refreshment break.
Supporters wearing white t-shirts and caps printed with the Sam Rainsy Party logo took part in the convoy, riding motor scooters, cars and trucks through the outskirts of Battambang to the temple in Ek Phnom district
After the break, the convoy resumed its trip through the province.
Mu Sochua was a member of Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party Funcinpec until January of 2004 when she left to join the opposition Sam Rainsy Party. While in the Cambodian People's Party Funcinpec, Mu Sochua served as Minister for Womens' Affairs, a post she held from 1998 until her resignation from the government party.
During that time, she fought extensively for women's rights in rural Cambodia and battled human trafficking. She is a renowned advocate for human rights, and this is the platform upon which her political campaign is built.
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/20/2012 12:15:00 AM
Saturday, May 19, 2012
[KI Media] SRP message on social justice for factory workers / Message du PSR sur la justice sociale pour les ouvriers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpvG9LoBgeQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKPoFh0YR_Y
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/19/2012 10:22:00 PM
[KI Media] 9-tr-old Touch Sunnix singing traditional Khmer (communist propaganda) song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnW_dZLlnB0
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/19/2012 10:18:00 PM
[KI Media] 11-yr-old Meng Keo Pech Chenda singing communist propaganda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ_fg7BdBA4
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/19/2012 10:15:00 PM
[KI Media] Prey Lang Forestry Activists Lobby Washington for Help
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTlh0C6H5U4
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/19/2012 10:09:00 PM
[KI Media] Prey Lang Forestry Activists Lobby Washington for Help
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| Phouk Hong, a Kuy ethnic minority who led a three-member team, told VOA Khmer in an TV interview that concession companies have destroyed the forest and do more harm to local culture than good. (Photo: by Pin Sisovann) |
Friday, 18 May 2012
Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC
"It destroys their livelihoods and their income from resin and other forest secondary products."
Environmental activists from Prey Lang forest have brought their concerns to Washington seeking international support to end deforestation in Cambodia.
Phouk Hong, a Kuy ethnic minority who led a three-member team, told VOA Khmer in an TV interview that concession companies have destroyed the forest and do more harm to local culture than good.
"The forest concession affects us a lot, especially those in the Prey Lang community," said Phouk Hong. "It destroys their livelihoods and their income from resin and other forest secondary products."
For Samoeun Vuthy, a Prov ethnic minority from Stung Treng province, keeping his ethnic group's dignity and culture intact are key objectives. That means, in part, not working as labor for rubber plantations or other companies.
"Land concessions do not serve the interests of indigenous groups in those areas," he said. "Traditionally, we don't want to work for others. We want the freedom to make a living from forest products. We don't want anyone to have control over us."
The delegation was invited to Amnesty International's Washington office, where members presented their concerns over concessions and the role of the national government of Cambodia. They want authorities to discuss concessions with locals before approving them, and they want the international community to support them.
"We are working to push the US government and the UN to address the Prey Lang and human rights issues," said Prom Saunora, US-based Cambodian rights activist, who attended the presentation. "This is a violation of the communities of Prey Lang, a real violation of human rights."
Many thousands of Kuy ethnic minorities are working to prevent the destruction of Prey Lang, a large primary forest that touches four provinces in the northeast of Cambodia. But land concessions have meant violent clashes between villagers and companies, as well as government security forces.
One such clash in Kratie province this week led to the shooting death of a 14-year-old girl by government security forces in an incident that has yet to be fully investigated.
"Amnesty is concerned all over Cambodia with forced evictions along with other things, but forced evictions are a real violation of international human rights law," said Claudia Vandermade, Amnesty's coordinator for Southeast Asia.
The delegation also brought its concerns to the Cambodian Embassy in Washington. Cambodian Ambassador Hem Heng said the government "has issued many laws and regulations to protect the forest."
"Forest destruction is caused by individuals," he said. "And the government is taking measures to review concession companies that do not comply with what they have agreed with the government."
The delegation also met with UN officials in New York last week and were scheduled to talk with the US State Department Friday.
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/19/2012 10:06:00 PM
[KI Media] Organization To Install Libraries in Cambodian Prisons
Friday, 18 May 2012
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
"We think that detainees have less opportunities to be educated than the general public."
An education organization hopes to set up libraries is seven of Cambodia's prisons. The group, Sipar, hopes to have the libraries finished by the end of the year, in an effort to educate prisoners so that they might better integrate with society on their release.
"We think that detainees have less opportunities to be educated than the general public," said Hok Sothik, director of the organization.
The ultimate goal is to have libraries in all of Cambodia's 26 prisons by 2014, serving more than 15,000 prisoners nationwide.
The organization will start with provincial prisons in Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Cham, Kampong Thom, Kandal, Koh Kong and Prey Veng, as well as Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh.
"I think it's necessary that we assist [prisoners] with additional education so they receive as much [help] as they can to reintegrate in the society when they finish purging their guilt," Hok Sothik said.
The expanded program is being built from a pilot project focused on Prey Sar prison in 2010. It expanded into two more facilities, in Battambang and Siem Reap provinces, with the help of the UN human rights office in Cambodia.
"More than 20,000 books were stored in those libraries," Hok Sothik said. Topics covered general education, literature, history, agriculture, human rights and technology, he said.
Christian Provoost, an EU representative in Cambodia, said European support for the library assistance program was part an effort to improve human rights and the rule of law in the country.
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/19/2012 10:01:00 PM
[KI Media] Commune Election Campaigning Begins
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| SRP campaign in Battambang |
Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
"Cambodia should have a new king leading the country, if we need our country to develop."
Ten political parties kicked off campaigning across the country on Friday, in anticipation of commune elections June 3.
Celebrations were held at party headquarters, and party supporters began handing out leaflets to potential voters. No violence was reported on the first day of the 15-day campaign period.
On the streets of Phnom Penh, the ruling Cambodian People's Party drove through the streets in modern vehicles. Members of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party traveled by motorcycle, old trucks or by foot to deliver its political message.
Supporters for various parties wearing T-shirts and hats emblazoned with party logos circled Independence Monument and motored through the city streets, where tightened security was evident.
Supports for the party of Sam Rainsy, who remains in exile, played a recording of his voice, which shouted for change as it passed Prime Minister Hun Sen's residence near Independence Monument.
Nearby, an old woman shouted, "Cambodia should have a new king leading the country, if we need our country to develop."
Through their own loudspeaker, the Cambodian People's Party broadcast a message saying, "Vote for the CPP, make the country develop, reduce poverty and corruption."
In campaigning in the west of the capital, officials of the Human Rights Party gathered at Wat Phnom for a swearing-in ceremony for new members. Party president Kem Sokha said the ceremony was to show that his party was not a "puppet" of the ruling party.
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/19/2012 09:58:00 PM
[KI Media] On Mr. Mam Sonando - Opinion by Khmer Guardian
https://www.box.com/s/10f9da1a8deef3e95a5d
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/19/2012 09:47:00 PM
[KI Media] "Khmer babies #1 killer" - Opinion by Khmer Guardian
https://www.box.com/s/fa13e668db640bab41f0
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/19/2012 09:43:00 PM
[KI Media] Analysis: Is Thailand’s military compromising for the sake of reconciliation?
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| Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinatwatra (center) and army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha (right). (Picture via Flickr, licensed under CC) |
May 18, 2012
By Saksith Saiyasombut
AsianCorrespondent.com
The East Asia Forum recently published a column on the current political role of Thailand's military written by John Blaxland, Senior Fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University with 30 years of service experience with the Australian Military and also a graduate of the Royal Thai Army Command and Staff College. In short: Dr. Blaxland has lots of military experience.
In the column, also republished in The Australian, he criticizes "the classic Western liberal tendency of painting complex situations in black-and-white terms" where the Thai military is being portrayed power-hungry, coup-happy force. Blaxland takes the 2006 military coup and its consequences as precedence for the Thai armed forces to be hesitant to stage another one, despite repeated cycles of rampant rumors.
Blaxland assumes that the military acted on their own in September 2006, although many heavily disagree with this notion. He also notes that the 2008 change of government was merely an act among political parties, not mentioning the fact that the Democrat-Bhum Jai Thai coalition was reportedly brokered in the residence of then-army chief General Anupong Paochinda and in presence of his successor and then-chief-of-staff General Prayuth Chan-ocha.
However, the key part of this column is this:
Some say that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has had little success in pushing for greater civilian control over the military since this time. But there has been some change, most notably through the appointment of a pro-Thaksin general as defence minister. In addition, the new army chief, General Prayuth Chan-o-Cha, has avoided overstepping constitutional boundaries and has been largely compliant — despite some bluster and a perception that he would be harsher than his predecessor, General Anupong.
There are now several possible scenarios for the future. It appears the military has arrived at a point of recognition — that they have to maintain stability, particularly until the royal succession is completed. That means they may have to compromise a little — and the military has publicly shown respect for the elected government. This respect has been reciprocated through placatory actions and statements by the Yingluck administration.
"Reconsidering the role of the military in Thailand", by John Blaxland, East Asia Forum, April 26, 2012
One problem with Blaxland's assessment on Thailand's military is that he views the armed forces as a monolithic organization, while in reality it has always been factionalized between different regiments and army prep school classes – key factors when it comes to the annual reshuffles and promotions. Rivalries between these are often a source for potential inner-circle conflict, as the issue with the so-called 'watermelon soldiers' during the 2010 red shirt protests have shown. Although there are now measures being undertaken to address this issue like wide-reaching surveys and supporting promotions of officers from other classes.
But there is one major omission (deliberately or not) by Blaxland on the role of the Thai military in the political landscape: the top priority of Thailand's armed forces is to serve and protect the monarchy (see above), which has been repeatedly emphasized under current army chief Prayuth more than ever, who sees Thaksin Shinawatra and his supporters as its biggest threat.
Even before the election victory of Yingluck Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party there have been talks between Thaksin's camp, the military and representatives of the palace to broker a deal, which is now being widely regarded as a détente between the current government and the military:
Since then Yingluck Shinawatra, Mr. Thaksin's younger sister, has governed. Under her premiership, an uneasy truce has taken hold, but crucial steps are needed before Thailand can arrive at a genuine reconciliation among competing political factions and the military after years of protracted tumult.
Under the current unspoken truce terms, the Yingluck government has gone out of its way not to challenge the army's high command and to ensure the monarchy remains sacrosanct in Thailand's hierarchical society. Challenges against the monarchy must be put down through draconian lese-majeste laws. In return, she gets to rule without the crippling street protests by colorful royalists as happened in the recent past and Mr. Thaksin has to remain in exile.
"Thitinan: From Truce to Reconciliation in Thailand", by Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Wall Street Journal, May 6, 2012
In short, the military will not intervene in the Yingluck administration and potentially also tolerate a return of Thaksin to Thailand, while the government will not try to upset the military officers by actions such as prosecuting those involved in the killings of red shirt protesters in 2010. Another key issue that will not be touched is the lèse majesté law, as Yingluck herself has repeatedly stated that her government will not amend the draconian Article 112. Even the recent death of 'Uncle SMS' in prison could not sway her, much to the dismay of her supporter base.
Blaxland also overestimates the appointment of Air Chief Marshal Sukumpol Suwannathat as the defense minister, despite his closeness to Thaksin, since there are laws that gives the military the upper hand, such as the Defence Ministry Administration Act (sic!):
Gen Prayuth is under the protection of the Defence Ministry Administration Act which has been in effect from the time Privy Councillor Gen Surayud Chulanont became prime minister after the 2006 coup. This law is specifically designed to block politicians from tampering with reshuffle decisions made by the armed forces.
The act does not give power to the defence minister in calling the shots in military appointments and promotions. Its Article 25 places leaves that task with the Defence Committee to make decisions on military reshuffles.
The panel comprises the defence minister, a deputy minister, the permanent secretary for defence, the supreme commander and the three armed forces chiefs army, air force and navy. At present there is no deputy defence minister, so the committee has only six members. At the committee's meetings, all officers to be reshuffled must have the signed approval of all panel members _ except the defence minister's; he must act as chairman of the meeting so that later, in his capacity as defence minister, he cannot make any changes to the list when it goes to the cabinet. According to the act, once the list is approved by the committee, it has to be left untouched.
"Tigers of the East secure a roaring hurrah", Bangkok Post, October 6, 2011
There are attempts at the moment to amend the Defence Ministry Administration Act by defense minister Sukampol – whether or not this will pass is an entirely different matter, let alone how the military will react on it. And in general, the current relative tranquility between the military and the civilian side is only because the lines have been clearly drawn and any overstepping of these boundaries of authority will be met with scorn.
This is a status quo that is being upheld as a necessary inconvenience (and in that regard Blaxland is right) between the two in order for a smooth royal succession – which does not mean however that all factions are not preparing quietly to be in the best position for the time after that. These are the shades of grey in the Thai political landscape that are not to be left in the pitch-black darkness.
Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist currently based in Hamburg, Germany. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith and on Facebook here.
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Posted By Heng Soy to KI Media at 5/19/2012 09:37:00 PM
[KI Media] COMMUNE ELECTIONS : SAM RAINSY PARTY MESSAGE ON THE BORDER ISSUE
For the June 3, 2012 commune elections the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) has
produced the following video message on the theme of Cambodia's
territorial integrity and related border issues. In order to be
conveniently posted on YouTube the original 20-minute video clip is
divided into two parts of ten minutes each.
( អនាគតកូនចៅ និងប្រទេសជាតិរបស់លោកអ្នក
គឺលោកអ្នកជាសម្រេច តាមរយះសន្លឹកឆ្នោតសម្ងាត់ !)
គឺលោកអ្នកជាសម្រេច តាមរយះសន្លឹកឆ្នោតសម្ងាត់ !)
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Posted By អ្នកស្រែ to KI Media at 5/19/2012 07:04:00 PM
[KI Media] Commune elections
Officical video produced by the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) for the campaign leading to the June 3, 2012 commune elections.
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Posted By Jendhamuni to KI Media at 5/19/2012 05:50:00 AM
[KI Media] SAM RAINSY’S MESSAGE TO THE KHMER PEOPLE
[KI Media] Cambodians in Europe Demonstrated in Geneva
There are about two hundred Cambodians coming from France, Belgium, Swiss, Sweden, Germany, Holand, and Austria to demonstrate in front of United Nations Office in Geneva on 17 May 2012 to express their concern and ask the United Nations to presure Cambodian government to respect the spirit of Paris Paris Peace Accord 1991, stop deforestion, culture of impunity, illegal eviction and land grabbing. (Photo: Khmer Sovannaphumi)
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Posted By កុលបុត្រមហានគរខ្មែរ to KI Media at 5/19/2012 04:51:00 AM
[KI Media] បោះឆ្នោតជូន សម រង្ស៊ី (Vote for Sam Rainsy) 2012
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Posted By អ្នកស្រែ to KI Media at 5/19/2012 12:44:00 AM
Friday, May 18, 2012
[KI Media] បទសម្ភាសន៍តំណាងព្រៃឡង់ វគ្គ២
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Posted By Jendhamuni to KI Media at 5/18/2012 11:27:00 PM
[KI Media] Commune and Subdistrict Election campaigns
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Posted By Jendhamuni to KI Media at 5/18/2012 11:23:00 PM
[KI Media] Cracked earth
A village boy leads his goat past a parched pond on the outskirts of the eastern Indian city of Bhubaneswar, May 17. Huge swathes of rural farmland have turned dry as farmers await the annual monsoon rains, which the India Meteorological Department says are expected to arrive on time this year. msnbc.com photo
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Posted By Jendhamuni to KI Media at 5/18/2012 10:01:00 PM
[KI Media] Cops say pay docked for party politics [-Now you know why Cambodian cops are so corrupt]
Friday, 18 May 2012
Kim Yuthana and Shane Worrell
The Phnom Penh Post
The ruling Cambodian People's Party has been accused of cutting the salaries of national police officers to help fund its political campaign ahead of the country's commune elections on June 3.
A police official at the National Police Commissionaire's internal security department, who did not want to be named, told the Post yesterday that officers were being forced to "contribute" as much as 100,000 riel (US$25) per month to the party.
The enforced deductions had begun last month and would continue until next year's general election, regardless of their political affiliations, he said.
"I'm not really happy with my money cut, because our salary – like other civil servants – is a small amount," he said. "It is not a good policy for the ruling CPP; they can find other ways to support the party."
The officer added that the contributions were being deducted on a sliding scale based on position, from as much as 100,000 riel per month for higher ranking posts, to 10,000 riel for ordinary officers.
Another police officer, who also asked not to be named, said he had been told the money would be used for election purposes, while several more police officials confirmed the cuts were affecting their department.
National Police Commissioner Neth Savoeun and spokesman Kirt Chantharith could not be reached for comment yesterday; however, Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak denied the allegations, saying the CPP had no authority to cut the salaries of civil servants.
"There is no policy to cut the salary for the party," he said. "But there are some volunteer [financial donors] and they have the right to make political donations – this is mapped out in the constitution."
Although unaware of the allegations, opposition Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Son Chhay said civil servants faced many pressures to support the CPP.
"This is a big problem. The CPP has been pestering public servants, particularly police and teachers, to join their party. If they do not join, they will not be promoted," he said. "They're also being forced to pay. They have no choice. This kind of pressure is causing a lot of pressure on the system."
Cambodian Center for Human Rights president Ou Virak said the police officers' allegations came as no surprise to him. "It's widespread. I know of these things happening," he said.
Koul Panha, executive director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, said parties had the right to collect money from members, but a lack of internal policy outlining how best to do this led to problems.
"Do [members] have an obligation [to contribute] or not? It is not clear. They must improve transparency," he said.
Meanwhile, as parties prepared to step up campaigning yesterday, the Human Rights Party and the Norodom Ranariddh Party demanded the National Election Committee take action against the Commune Election Commission and CPP party officials they claim have been sabotaging their campaign plans.
The two parties, during a meeting at NEC headquarters yesterday, claimed the provincial CEC in Kampong Speu and CPP-aligned village and commune chiefs were making it difficult for other parties to campaign.
In some cases, HRP and NRP had been told they could not hold marches or rallies, especially using microphones, without seeking permission from the village chief – a CPP member.
"CEC telling political parties to ask permission from the village chief is contrary to election law," NRP's election secretariat Kouy Sokharith said.
NEC secretary-general Tep Nytha said he had not advised CEC to tell political parties to seek permission from the village chiefs to campaign.
"You must ask three days before starting a campaign and you must ask clearly," he said. "If [the CEC or any authority] does not allow it, you must inform the NEC."
Ou Virak said village chiefs were often involved in the CPP and were "at the whim of the ruling party".
"Until village chiefs are elected by the people . . . you're not going to get a fair election."
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Posted By Socheata to KI Media at 5/18/2012 03:40:00 PM
[KI Media] Sacrava's Political Cartoon: ECCC's Clowns
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| Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com) |
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Posted By Socheata to KI Media at 5/18/2012 03:37:00 PM
[KI Media] គណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី ហែក្បួនប្រហែល ៧ពាន់នាក់ ក្នុងរាជធានីភ្នំពេញ - SRP election campaign procession in Phnom Penh
- មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ប្រកាន់ខ្ជាប់សីលធម៌ សច្ចធម៌ យុត្តិធម៌។
- មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ការពារប្រជាពលរដ្ឋស្លូតត្រង់ទូទៅ។
- មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ដោះស្រាយបញ្ហាប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ ដោយមិនរើសអើង និងមិនទាមទារកម្រៃ។
- មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ផ្ដល់សំបុត្រស្នាមផ្សេងៗ យ៉ាងឆាប់រហ័សដល់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ ដោយមិនទារកម្រៃសម្រាប់ប្រយោជន៍ផ្ទាល់ខ្លួន។
- មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ការពារដីធ្លីប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ។
- មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី បង្កើតសហគមន៍កសិកម្ម និងនេសាទ ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ។
- មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ការពារព្រៃឈើ និងធនធានធម្មជាតិ។
- មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ប្រើប្រាស់មូលនិធិឃុំប្រកបដោយតម្លាភាព និងយុត្តិធម៌ ដើម្បីជីវភាពប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ និងការអភិវឌ្ឍពិតប្រាកដ។
- មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី បែងចែកជំនួយជាតិ និងអន្តរជាតិដល់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ ដោយមិនរើសអើង និងមិនប្រកាន់បក្ខពួក។
- មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ជ្រើសរើសមេភូមិថ្មី តាមឆន្ទៈប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ។
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សកម្មភាពឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោតរបស់គណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី នៃថ្ងៃបើកយុទ្ធនាការឃោសនា ព្រឹកថ្ងៃទី១៨ ខែឧសភា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ (រូបថត: លីនណា) |
ថ្ងៃទី 18 ឧសភា 2012
ដោយ: លីនណា
Cambodia Express News
ភ្នំពេញ: ក្បួនគណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី នៅថ្ងៃផ្តើមបើកយុទ្ធនាការឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោត នៅព្រឹកថ្ងៃទី១៨ ខែឧសភា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ បានប្រមូលផ្ដុំគ្នានៅចំណុចបរិវេណសួនច្បារមុខវត្តបទុម ខណ្ឌដូនពេញ ដោយមានស្រែកជយឃោស រកសំឡេងឆ្នោត និងមានការរាំនៅបរិវេណសួនច្បារ។ ក្នុងពិធីជួបជុំនោះ ក៏មានថ្លែងសារនយោបាយដោយផ្ទាល់មាត់ពីប្រធានគណបក្សស្ដីទី លោក គង់ គាំ។
ក្រោយការជួបជុំរួច ក្បួនឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោតរបស់គណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី បានចាប់ផ្ដើមដើរ ចាប់ពីចំណុចមុខវត្តបទុម រហូតដល់ចំណុចខាងត្បូងវិមានឯករាជ្យ ទើបចាប់ផ្ដើមដើរឡើងរថយន្ដ និងម៉ូតូរៀងៗខ្លួនឆ្ពោះទៅកាន់ក្រុងតាខ្មៅ ខេត្តកណ្តាល។
លោក គង់ គាំ ប្រធានស្ដីទីគណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី បានថ្លែងសារនយោបាយដោយផ្ទាល់ថា "គណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី កំណត់ថា ឆ្នាំ២០១២-២០១៣ ជាឆ្នាំស្រោចស្រង់ជីវិត និងស្រោចស្រង់ជីវភាពប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរ ឲ្យបានប្រសើរឡើង។ គណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី កំណត់ថា ឆ្នាំ២០១២-២០១៣ ជាឆ្នាំសង្គ្រោះដីធ្លីកម្ពុជា ទាំងនៅតាមព្រំដែន ទាំងនៅក្នុងផ្ទៃប្រទេសកម្ពុជាទាំងមូល។ ឆ្នាំ១៩៩៣ ប្រជាជនធ្លាប់ឈ្នះឆ្នោតវៀតណាម ឈ្នះឆ្នោតគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជាម្ដងហើយ។ ឆ្នាំ២០១២-២០១៣ ប្រជាជនខ្មែរត្រូវឈ្នះឆ្នោតវៀតណាម និងគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជាម្ដងទៀត"។
លោក គង់ គាំ បានបន្ថែមថា "បោះឆ្នោតឲ្យគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជាកាន់អំណាច មេដឹកនាំចាត់ទុកប្រជាជនកម្ពុជាជាខ្ញុំបម្រើ ជាកញ្ជះដាច់ថ្លៃរបស់អ្នកមានអំណាច។ បោះឆ្នោតជូនគណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរទទួលបានសិទ្ធិជាម្ចាស់អំណាច។ គណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី មានជំនាញបង្កើនចំណូលប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ និងដំឡើងប្រាក់ខែជូនមន្ត្រីរាជការ គ្រូបង្រៀន និងកងកម្លាំងប្រដាប់អាវុធ ឲ្យរស់នៅថ្លៃថ្នូរ"។
លោក គង់ គាំ បានថ្លែងសារនយោបាយទៅកាន់អ្នកកាំទ្របន្តថា "ប្រធាន សម រង្ស៊ី ជាអ្នកមានជំនាញផ្នែកសេដ្ឋកិច្ច ធ្លាប់ស្ដារសេដ្ឋកិច្ចកម្ពុជា ក្រោយឆ្នាំ១៩៩៣។ ឈ្នះឆ្នោត ២០១២-២០១៣ លោកប្រធាន សម រង្ស៊ី និងគណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី ជួយស្ដារសេដ្ឋកិច្ចកម្ពុជាឲ្យមានការរីកលូតលាស់ចម្រុងចម្រើន។ ឆ្នាំ២០១២ ប្ដូរអំណាចថ្នាក់ឃុំសង្កាត់។ ឆ្នាំ២០១៣ ប្ដូររដ្ឋាភិបាល គណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជាចេញ។ នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រីថ្មី គឺលោក សម រង្ស៊ី"។
នៅក្នុងក្បួនដង្ហែនោះ លោកស្រី កែ សុវណ្ណរតន៍ អគ្គលេខាធិការគណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី បានប្រាប់ថា "ថ្ងៃនេះ យើងចាប់ផ្ដើមទាំងអស់ ទាំងនៅក្រុង និងតាមខេត្ត។ អ្នកចូលរួមហែក្បួននៅភ្នំពេញ ប្រហែល ៧ពាន់នាក់ ហើយថ្ងៃនេះយើងធ្វើយុទ្ធនាការនៅក្នុងក្រុងពេញមួយថ្ងៃ"។
ជាមួយគ្នានោះ លោក សម រង្ស៊ី បានផ្ញើសារនយោបាយចំនួន ១០ចំណុច សម្រាប់ប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុងយុទ្ធនាការឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោតក្រុមប្រឹក្សាឃុំ-សង្កាត់ អាណត្តិទី៣ ឆ្នាំ២០១២ មានដូចខាងក្រោម៖
១. មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ប្រកាន់ខ្ជាប់សីលធម៌ សច្ចធម៌ យុត្តិធម៌។
២. មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ការពារប្រជាពលរដ្ឋស្លូតត្រង់ទូទៅ។
៣. មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ដោះស្រាយបញ្ហាប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ ដោយមិនរើសអើង និងមិនទាមទារកម្រៃ។
៤. មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ផ្ដល់សំបុត្រស្នាមផ្សេងៗ យ៉ាងឆាប់រហ័សដល់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ ដោយមិនទារកម្រៃសម្រាប់ប្រយោជន៍ផ្ទាល់ខ្លួន។
៥. មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ការពារដីធ្លីប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ។
៦. មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី បង្កើតសហគមន៍កសិកម្ម និងនេសាទ ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ។
៧. មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ការពារព្រៃឈើ និងធនធានធម្មជាតិ។
៨. មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ប្រើប្រាស់មូលនិធិឃុំប្រកបដោយតម្លាភាព និងយុត្តិធម៌ ដើម្បីជីវភាពប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ និងការអភិវឌ្ឍពិតប្រាកដ។
៩. មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី បែងចែកជំនួយជាតិ និងអន្តរជាតិដល់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ ដោយមិនរើសអើង និងមិនប្រកាន់បក្ខពួក។
១០. មេឃុំ សម រង្ស៊ី ជ្រើសរើសមេភូមិថ្មី តាមឆន្ទៈប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ។
គួរបញ្ជាក់ថា ក្បួនរបស់គណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី នៅរាជធានីភ្នំពេញ បានចាប់ផ្ដើមចេញដំណើរពីចំណុចសួនច្បារមុខវត្តបទុម ហើយបានធ្វើដំណើររហូតដល់រង្វង់មូលតាខ្មៅ ខេត្តកណ្តាល ទើបបកចូលមករាជធានីភ្នំពេញវិញ និងធ្វើការឃោសនារកសំឡេងឆ្នោតតាមផ្លូវសំខាន់ៗពេញមួយថ្ងៃ នៅក្នុងរាជធានីភ្នំពេញ។
ជាការកត់សម្គាល់ នៅពេលក្បួនឃោសនាគណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី ជួបនឹងក្បួនឃោសនារបស់គណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា នៅមុខទីស្នាក់ការគណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី តាមផ្លូវជាតិលេខ២ នៅចាក់អង្រែ គឺសកម្មជនគណបក្សទាំងពីរ បានហ៊ោកញ្ជ្រៀវដាក់គ្នា ដោយទឹកមុខញញឹមញញែម ដោយមិនស្រែក ឌឺដង ឬក៏ផ្ទុះហិង្សាពាក្យសម្តីដាក់គ្នាឡើយ៕
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Posted By Socheata to KI Media at 5/18/2012 01:03:00 PM
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